An unexpected touch of love
by Yuna McHill
Summary: Miss Peregrine is behaving strangely sad as of late and her children are worried. What can they do to help her? What connection does the handsome gentleman, who stands before them one day, have to their ymbryne? This story deals with a situation never dealt with before. Will Miss Peregrine find love in the dark? Suggested by plengpoonyapa.
1. Chapter 1

**An unexpected touch of love**

Hello, everyone! Thank you for your positive comments on „My best dream". I was really happy that you liked it.

This fic is for my friend plengpoonyapa, who wanted to see a fic about Miss Peregrine's first date after having settled in Florida. I love you, sis!

Although I will mention some deaths that happened in the series, this fic will not be dark. It just shows how much the poor Miss P had to deal with, but there'll be a flood of light at the end of the tunnel for her.

„An unexpected touch of love" will be a multichapter fic. Except my OC, all characters belong to Ransom Riggs. Forgot to mention the copyrights last time, oops...

Like last time, I will use the ages of the characters in the movies.

If you celebrate Christmas, I wish you a happy time!

And now, onward with „An unexpected touch of love"!

Yuna

 **Chapter 1:**

The first time the wide-eyed little Claire noticed that something was different, was when she saw her beloved ymbryne mother leaning against a tree with an uncharacteristicly sad look on her face. She was playing ball in the garden in front of Jacob's house with Millard and Hugh. The girl with the back-mouth had been concerned by the change in Miss Peregrine's mood, but had hesitated to ask her if she was ok, when she had appeared at dinner with her usual bright smile.

That's when she had thought she'd just imagined things in the heat, but Claire was proven wrong when two days later she accidently caught on the look of sadness, complete with tears, that she threw Emma and Jacob kissing in a corner of the library. Once again, the young woman's frown had lifted into a smile when Claire had instantly blurted out the question if she was really fine. Miss Peregrine had just grinned even wider and said it was the dust that made her beautiful eyes watery.

The third time she witnessed abnormal behaviour from her headmistress, she sped into the room of her best friend Bronwyn and desperately confessed to the baffled girl. „I think Miss P is hurt somewhere and she just won't tell us! She was crying, really crying, Wyn! Something is wrong... and I'm scared. I want the real Miss P back!", she exclaimed after having told her what she had seen this early evening. Bronwyn stared at her wide-eyed and shocked. „Oh my, that sounds if something was really wrong! But what could we do to make it better?", she muttered, her face mirroring that of her blonde friend. After worrying and thinking for some seconds, Claire's dark face lit up and she extended a hand to her friend to help her up. „I know who may be able to help us!"

Enoch's and Olive's lips broke apart hastily when they heard the voice of their Little Claire from the door. Enoch bit back a curse and greeted them civilly. „Hello, Claire and Bronwyn. What can we do for you, sweeties?", Olive asked with a warm smile. Hesitantly, the light-haired girl told them about her discoveries. „And so we wondered...", she finished. „...if you know what's happening.", the superstrong girl completed her sentence. The two teenagers looked at each other for some time, then back at them. Olive wore a look of affection on her face, while Enoch kneeled down to their level and brushed hair out of their faces.

„Oh children... I might know what she has. Remember the last two times Miss Peregrine reacted so sad? The first time was when Em and Jake were kissing and the second when she saw a young couple getting married on our daily walk. You weren't present, Wyn, because you felt a little ill this morning. I think that despite the horrible treatment of her brother, she still feels yearning for men. Miss Peregrine wants a boyfriend...", he concluded with a smile worthy of an ymbryne herself.

The two kids exchanged a look of utter surprise. „So she feels... lonely?", Claire asked a bit hesitantly. Bronwyn gasped and held her friend's hands, squealing exitedly: „Does it mean that we'll have a father maybe?" The fiery teenager swallowed and knelt down as well to caress the girls. „That may come with time... But yes, judging from what you've told me, I do think that Miss Peregrine wants to... well, share love with someone else as well." „Exac... Oh Bird, Horace!", Enoch was about to add, when they heard Horace's scream from downstairs.

Alma Peregrine slowly walked down the street that led from the market to the park. From there she would just have to cross the road and the house of Jacob's family would come into view. Once again she checked the bags in her hand to see if she had everything they needed. There were potatoes, peas, raspberries for a pie she intended to bake, apples... and carrots.

For a second, she felt so horrible that she almost stumbled. The loss of her dear child Fiona, taken in a terrible assault that had come so unexpectedly, still haunted her and broke her innermost core. Such a young and promising life ripped away, like a flower picked up by a cruel hand just to let it waste. Oh Fiona... „No mother should outlive their children, may they be biological or otherwise...", Miss Peregrine thought, on the verge of crying.

Biological... Suddenly she felt her thoughts turning from Fiona to a scene that she had witnessed earlier this day. She and her children had done their everyday walk, starting at their home, going through the little park, passing a nearby chapel and after crossing the road walking back to the house on a lovely boardwalk. They had made it until the chapel, before everything had gotten downhill from there...

The bells ringing and the organ music from the chapel had reached their ears even before emerging from the park. And then they had seen it. The couple was beautifully dressed, the groom in a fine black smoking, the bride's face rivalling the shine of her star-white dress. Her little children had squealed, Olive and Horace had started ranting about the wedding attires and Miss Peregrine...

Miss Peregrine had stood there paralized, with a pain in her chest as if someone had hit her heart with a knife. Before she even realized what she was doing, she had heard herself telling Enoch that he would be encharged with finishing the walk, as she would be going to the market to shop for dinner. Then she had felt the unmistakable sting of tears in her eyes and had fled the scene before anyone of her curious children could hear her sob.

What had made her feel so bad? Was it the music, reminding her of her dear parents' own wedding? Was it the beauty of the couple, making her feel ashamed of her own imperfect, scarred body? Or was it their pure happiness of being together, joined for eternity by the bond of love? Alma couldn't prevent a sob escaping her tightly sealed lips and the tears wetting her cheeks.

Yes, even though she already dedicated her time and love to her young charges, a part of her – her human side – still felt the desire for someone else loving her back in a different way. Except of her father's love, all the men in her life had been cruel or indifferent to her. So she thought it only natural that, now that her heart was starting to heal and recover from all the trauma, the woman in her tried to take more control...

In the meantime, the young ymbryne didn't realize in her grief that she had actually starting to run and that she was before the road now. That she was crossing the street blindly without acknowledging the heavy traffic in her path... When she she finally heard the frantic honking of a car through the rush of blood in her ears, it was already too late... A red sports car was just inches close to run her over, the panicked eyes of the driver hidden behind the tinted window.

Alma was petrified. She had never thought about dying before, least of all like thise. Going down in a blaze of glory perhaps, taking several enemies down with her, but not getting crushed by a vehicle! How would her little kids react to her absence? What would become of Enoch, Horace, Emma, her Little Claire? Suddenly a male voice sounded sharp and clear through the haze in her brain: „WATCH OUT!" A strong arm grabbed her shoulder out of the corner of her eye, a quick pull... and she was safe on the boardwalk once more. Intense blue eyes, glinting with concern was the last thing she saw as her knees buckled under her and slipped into unconciousness.

At Jacob's house: „Is everything alright, Horace? What did you see?" A few other kids were already surrounding their prophetic brother when Enoch and Olive arrived with the little girls in tow. Even the dead-riser felt a sting of fear in his stomach when he saw the state Horace was in. His hands were firmly pressed to his mouth, he was trembling and tears were starting to make their way down his cheeks. He looked downright horrified.

„What did you dream, honey?", asked the redhead, gently prying Horace's hands from his lips and running her own along his back to calm him down. After some minutes, he uttered five words that sent even toughest among them into a fit of frenzy: „Miss Peregrine had an accident!"

End of Chapter 1

 **I honestly swear that this came out entirely different as I pictured it! The story just took control! Don't hate me, I promise you that Miss P is ok...**

 **If you liked it so far, feel free to leave a comment. I'll try to get Chapter 2 done as soon as the festivities allow me.**

 **Merry Christmas!**

 **Yuna**


	2. Chapter 2

**An unexpected touch of love**

Hello, everybody! I hope all of you celebrated a nice Christmas, first of all. Second of all, A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017! I had a big family reunion and it was lots of fun, then I came down with the flu, but even that didn't stop me from writing on my beloved stories. Especially with all of you asking me to continue it...

I honestly don't know what sort of sorcery bewitched my feather in the first chapter... But since you liked it, I promise that there'll be no harm done in this second chapter. *puts hand on heart* At least not too much... *evil grin*

I got a lots of presents, but sadly those don't include the rights for Miss Peregrine. Mr Riggs still has them...

From here I'll start describing varied medical symptoms. Any mistakes are my fault, I'm no medical student.

And now, without further ado, on with chapter 2 of 'An unexpected touch of love'!

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 **Chapter 2:**

It felt like hours to her until Miss Peregrine's conciousness returned. Her heart still beating a bit irregularly, she opened her eyes. The face of a young man loomed over her. When she tried to move, he muttered: „Go easy, let me help you, Miss." She was gently lifted into a sitting position and she used her change of perspective to take a better look at her saviour.

It was a youthful male who had pulled her from a certain death. He was about just as tall as her, with a lean but muscular body build. Alma guessed he was somewhere around 30 years, he still displayed a clean face, framed by mouse brown hair tinged with just a hint of grey. Rectangular frameless glasses protected his sapphire eyes, which were sparkling with a mix of worry and relief.

„Thank God that I had just come from my office and could get to you in time... How are you feeling? What's your name, Miss?", he told her. His voice was a rich warm tenor which helped to soothe the headache Alma felt, but it seemed like her tongue was sticking to the roof of her mouth, robbing her of her voice.

She was confused. Normally she avoided getting close to others except her children, afraid to trigger a panic attack. Something perfectly normal, Jacob had told her, after all what had happened to her and what she had to go through. And yet... now she was basically sandwiched between a stranger and a bench, but the familiar panic didn't emerge this time. Instead she felt at peace, safe, his blue eyes holding no malice, the warmth of his slightly calloused hands over hers...

„I'm sorry, Miss. Are you, by any guess, a mute? Should we communicate in sign language if that's what you prefer?", he asked, nervousness creeping into his voice. The ymbryne gulped, blushing embarassedly, and forced her voice to work again: „No sir, it's fine. It's just..." Her saviour began to laugh: „How good! I had already feared that you had another underlying medical condition. How good..." Alma looked at him for a moment, not quite sure still what to make of that situation, then she admitted: „I feel a little dizzy and my head hurts a bit. Are you..."

„... A doctor.", the man replied with a smile, „Doctor David R. Chet, graduated with a PhD from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine two years ago. I have a little medical office a couple of blocks away from here. As for your ailments, there's nothing to worry about. The high amount of stress you suffered caused your adrenaline levels to increase. This lead to a likewise elevation of your blood pressure. When you were safe, your production of stress hormones decreased again. That caused the blood pressure to fall, which in turn results in symptoms like dizziness and headache... You're not getting a word of what I'm talking about, right? It's fine, just drink a glass of water, rest for an hour and you'll be as good as new." „Thank you... for saving me, Doctor Chet.", Miss Peregrine said quietly. „You're welcome, Miss... What's your name again?", he gently replied, then tilted his head at her with honest curiosity. Alma looked into his trustful eyes and told him: „I'm Alma. Alma LeFay Peregrine."

„Miss Peregrine had an accident!" For a few seconds, everyone among them stared at their brother in shock. Then all hell broke loose... The Twins gave a high-pitched shriek, while hugging each other tight. Even though they appeared indifferent because of their masks, their screeches betrayed how scared they felt. Hugh had pressed a hand over his mouth and his eyes were shimmering with tears. The boy was in such a shock that even his bees were completely silent. Enoch, fighting a rising panic so terrible that he almost felt sick, pulled the weeping Bronwyn and Claire close to his chest, while keeping a blurry view on Horace who had sunk against the invisible Millard, desperately calling him, with blank eyes.

But Emma seemed to take it the worst... Olive was fiercely hugging her friend, who seemed like frozen over, telling her time and again that everything would be alright while trying to keep from drowning on her own tears. Jacob was standing beside her, wringing his hands, his face pale with worry. Emma whimpered softly. She was in complete denial. Her ymbryne, her protector, her beautiful _mother_ had been involved in an accident? No, that couldn't be, it just couldn't be true! She was too brave, too smart, too invincible to be cut down by an accident! Part of her wanted to strangle the young prophet for telling such lies, the other part of her simply refused to believe that her Miss P was... She couldn't even think the horrible four letters.

Her mind propulsed her 90 years into her past. She had just been a girl close to death, curled up on an icy floor on a winter's day. She had been bound to her housewall with a thick rope to prevent her from floating away. Emma couldn't even remember why, but it wasn't that she even cared anyway... Just as she was about to give up the fight and surrender to the cold, a miracle had appeared in the form of Miss Peregrine.

Suddenly the falcon flying over her head had changed as if by magic into a beautiful young woman. „Are you a sorceress?", Emma had asked almost inaudibly. Her eyes full of tears, compassion and love, her soon-to-be new mother had kneeled down to caress her with the wonderful words: „I'm an ymbryne, honey and I'm here to take you to your new home..." From then on, her life had changed from scratch. And for the better. Now she prayed to God that it wouldn't end...

„Let's get you up, Miss Peregrine. Don't worry, I'm holding you.", Dr. Chet told her and reached out an arm for her to cling to. After swaying on her high-heels for a moment, Miss Peregrine regained her footing. „I'm fine now. Thank you so much for everything, doctor.", she wanted to say goodbye, but the man would have none of it. „Where do you live? I'll go with you. To make sure you don't have a relapse. It's my duty as a doctor to make sure my patients are safe. Besides, those bags look heavy..." He looked so serious and sincerely worried for her safety, that the ymbryne simply couldn't refuse him. So she sighed and told him: „If I had gone across the street safely, I would have just had to walk a few miles on the boardwalk to reach our house."

Her new aquaintance smiled and took some of her shopping bags under his arm, then gently pressed against her back to get her to move. Again, Alma felt strange. The last time someone had touched her this way, it had been her devil of a brother and she had nearly died of a panic attack. But this, this was different. It was warm, protecting, caring even. It was saying 'I am here to guide you, to make sure nothing happens to you. You're safe in my arms.'. She also felt much happier than she had felt during these last days... Could it be that she had begun to fall in love, like she had yearned for? Could it really happen so fast? …

„You have an interesting name, Miss Peregrine. Like the bird.", her companion commented with a smile. „Yes, sir. I have... well, my father liked peregrine falcons so much that he... he decided to change our last name to Peregrine. He dreamed of being a falconer, but... but he died before he could fulfill his dream...", she made up quickly. But before any sadness could ruin the mood between them, her face lit up with a smile and she exclaimed: „Look, my house is just a few miles away from here!"

Although he felt sometimes unhappy with his pecularity, Millard Nullings was most glad that nobody could see the tears streaming across his cheeks right now. He couldn't really remember being that sad except the day his brother Victor had died. Miss Peregrine gone as well? To try and quench the wave of guilt of having so often been naughty, he was trying to take care of both Horace and Hugh, who had sat down beside him.

While gently grooming the blond unmoving head of their prophet, he pressed the bee boy's shoulder. Hugh was looking firmly into the distance, while making no attempt to wipe away the tears falling from his eyes. „Hey, Hugh. Are you doing fine?", Millard asked softly, trying to keep the sobs out of his voice to not aggravate Hugh's sadness further.

But he knew immediately that his question sounded more cliché than anything... Hugh was not doing fine. In fact, he hadn't been fine ever since he had learned that Fiona had been killed by the wights. His range of emotions went from numbness to anger to deep sadness. Even though he was no licenced doctor, Millard had instantly recognized that Hugh had fallen into the soul-crushing cycle of depression.

His bet friend blatantly rejected everyone who was even remotely trying to approach him on the topic of Fiona. Millard, being the curious investigator he was, had found out to their horror that even Horace didn't wake up as much crying at night as Hugh did. Sometimes he randomly burst into tears during the day, claiming to see his girl and then brutally lashing out at everyone who tried to convince him otherwise. Although it was constantly getting warmer, Hugh was wearing long-sleeved shirts and neither Millard nor Miss Peregrine were fooled by his excuse that his bees were getting more adventurous. The invisible boy knew that the depressed peculiar was hurting himself.

Millard jumped when the bee boy all of a sudden jerked in his grip. He glanced up at him, afraid that he had done something to anger him, but he was staring wide-eyed at the door instead. Then he started running towards it, so fast as if he were being chased by Hollows. The younger syndrigast leaped up to follow him, fearing that he had another one of his 'visions' or wanted to do Bird knew what! Whatever he had possibly planned to do, Hugh's sudden change of demeanour bode nothing well for Millard...

Miss Peregrine slowed down a bit in her path, suddenly having second thoughts about the situation she was in. Her ymbryne instinct and the new side of her heart fought against each other. One had severe doubts that it was a good idea showing Dr. Chet the children just yet. Their reactions would be unpredictable if a stranger suddenly appeared in their home... Besides, she had no idea how he would see a horde of over twelve children as well, all with peculiar powers to add to it! The other wanted him to find her even more special and admire her skills for children. But something unexpected took the decision for her...

A swarm of bees rose into the sky from one second to the other and flew towards them, looming over and buzzing menacingly. „Where did those come from?!", the doctor exclaimed, unable to hide his shock before this sudden danger. The headmistress knew fully well where the bees were from, but couldn't think of any excuse. It was as if her tongue had turned to stone again...

„Maybe we should... OW!", she heard and this 'Ow' was enough to tear down her wall of indecisiveness. One of Hugh's bees had stung him right underneath the eye! Her sharp falcon eyes could just see his figure running away with a mixed expression of anger and guilt on his face, before she focused all of her powers, looked hard at the insects and hissed: „STOP!"

End of Chapter 1

 **I'm apologizing that it took so long to finally upload! Again... I went on a super long camping trip and I had no good connection to type it all down!**

 **The good thing about being in peaceful nature is that you have much more time to work on the continuation... On the other side, this happens when you ask someone with 'love issues' to write a romantic story. You get both sides of the coin...**

 **Thank you all so much for your patience! Leave a comment if you liked this chapter as well, please!**

 **Yuna**


	3. Chapter 3

**An unexpected touch of love**

Hello, my fellas! I'm back! Finally once again...

I've experienced the awful bite of the tiny but unnerving virus that's called writer's block. The words just didn't come! I hated every bit of it! Forgive me for the long waiting times. On the other hand, it's just my second story on and I'm still getting used to write for others. But I know that I'll improve in time.

Now that I got that off my soul, I'm glad to show you the third chapter of An unexpected touch of love. From that chapter on, I will present the different opinions of the children on the sudden appearance of Dr. Chet in Miss Peregrine's life. Be warned that it will divide the team into two fractions and some might seem surprising to you.

I've bought myself a couple of souvenirs from my vacation to a lake, but I didn't find the rights to Miss Peregrine. Mr Riggs isn't selling them...

And now onward with the third chapter of An unexpected touch of love!

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 _"Stop!"_

The insects first seemed to withstand the ymbryne's call, but then – with a last angry buzz – they seemed to stop in midair. Focusing even harder, using her anger as a fuel, Miss Peregrine commanded: "Go. Away!" The bees hovered over them for some unnerving seconds more, then they flew away for good. And don't come back!", she called after them. "Oh Hugh, what have you done?...", she thought sadly.

Then she turned to the man who had saved her. His face was pale and he was breathing irregularly, no doubt from shock, and holding his swollen eye. "Oh my Bird! I'm so sorry! Are you ok, doctor?", she exclaimed, deeply concerned and ashamed of her ward's behaviour. Slowly, Dr. Chet uncovered his eye, teeth slightly gritting in pain. The place where the bee had stung him was of an unpleasant red and causing his eye to swell shut. "Don't worry, Miss Peregrine. I'll be finde. I'm not allergic to bee stings, luckily. All I have to do is getting out the stinger and applying ice and a salve.", he assured her.

Miss Peregrine looked a bit further down the path, knowing that Jacob's house was just a few minutes more away, but she had already decided that the childrens' reactions were too unpredictable to treat him there. She didn't want him to get welcomed by an angry hurricane or – Bird forbid it! - gorgon twins. With a tinge of sadness, she gently took the doctor by the arm and demanded: "Tell me where your office is..."

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Hugh ran as if his bees were trying to sting him as well. He clearly felt two different sensations roaring violently in his chest: guilt and blinding anger. Guilt of having potentially hurt his beloved ymbryne, causing pain to the woman that loved him and his brethren with all her heart, taking them in when nobody else had wanted them... But the peculiar also felt the knife of anger being twisted in his vulnerable heart. How could she... His thoughts were suddenly interrupted, when he felt two strong arms tackling him and pressing him against the nearest wall.

"What in all Birds' names are you DOING?!", shouted Millard, shooting an invisible seething glare at his friend. Hugh tried to fight back and wrench out of his grip, but even though the unperceivable peculiar was not exactly the tallest of the bunch, his muscles were well-developed. "You could have hurt Miss P! What. Is. Wrong. With. You?!", Hugh heard the enraged accusation sting into him and the shakes Millard gave him with every word. Millard loosened his grip on him when he felt his tense friend deflate like a balloon and turned his head sideways.

"What's wrong with you?", the bee boy barely heard the softer repeated question through the blood rushing in his ears, as well as his bees returning and buzzing anxiously above their anguished master. He tried to swallow, but found it hard to pass the steadily growing lump in his throat. Tears surfaced and burned in his eyes, blurring his vision. "Hugh, please talk to me!", Millard implored, confused and worried by Hugh's behaviour. Then something in the peculiar finally cracked.

"HOW DOES SHE DARE?!", Hugh cried out. "I would have let my friends sting her as well, if only it would bring her back!" The invisible boy stumbled, almost blown away by the insane amount of hate and despair these words held. "Why would you say such a thing? She's the best ymbryne in the world, our mother...", he asked, shocked. "No... no mother of this world would ever... do this to her children.", Hugh stammered, tears now gradually making their way down his cheeks. "Miss Peregrine was with a stranger! A man! And they like each other, I saw it in their body language! She chose HIM over US!"

Miss Peregrine had made a friend?! The young Nullings didn't quite know what to make of that. It simply came too sudden! But what shocked him even more was the seperated feelings beginning to surface. Emma and Jake had found the perfect match in each other and was he not happy for them? Love was a beautiful thing and most normal to happen. It could happen any day at any given moment. Millard loved his Miss Peregrine with all his heart and he knew her love for them would forever endure, but wasn't his Miss P a woman first and foremost? Women were meant to fall in love... But why didn't he rejoice for her?

"What is so wrong about that, my friend?", he asked the Apiston boy, hoping to understand Hugh's and consequently his controversial feelings better. First he didn't answer, but then Hugh began to roll up his sleeves. Millard gasped involuntarily when he saw the net of scars running over his arms, some barely visible, some fading, others still red and fresh. But what upset him the most was the word 'FIONA' carved into his right arm. "All of this... All of this I'm doing for Fi. I miss her, every day. I miss her so much it hurts.", his distraught companion whispered tearfully. "I always think the physical pain will finally outweigh the emotional, but it never gets better. It's barely a year I've lost my darling and now..."

With the force of a lightning bolt it hit his loop brother what was wrong with them. "... you are feeling as if she's rubbing your loss directly in your face all over again?", he whispered back. There. There he had his answer. The answer to the question that was burning his heart. "H-how do-does she...", the young Apiston whimpered, before letting himself fall into Millard's invisible arms and crying desperately.

The scholar gritted his teeth in a surge of red-hot anger. No matter how much she meant to him, at this moment he thought a wight couldn't have committed higher treason! Gently he caressed the glossy brown hair of his friend, paying no attention to the swarm of bees surrounding him and trying even less to stop the tears from falling, compassion for Hugh filling him entirely. Hugh was freaking _cutting himself_ to forget about his broken heart and he had to witness his beloved headmistress in such a situation of all things! His voice of reason shouted at him indignantly that he didn't even know what had exactly happened, that Hugh could have misinterpreted the scene, though it was all but drowned by the fire of justice consuming him.

"I agree with you!", he declared loudly. "Now that I think of it, it really is uncalled for. I admit that she couldn't have known you were there, but it's an ymbryne's duty to assist and be with her children. It's what they chose, right?" The bee boy weakly lifted his head to his voice and asked softly: "So you understand? I thought you would... I don't know..." There, Millard Nullings understood that he was choosing a side. Either the children wouldn't agree with Miss Peregrine's new "friend" or they would accept it. "You are my best friend, Hugh.", he told him firmly. "I care about your well-being and I can't bear to see you suffering. You have my back."

Then he helped the peculiar to his feet again and let him lean on his shoulder until his wobbling legs held him steady again. Hugh swallowed his last sob, dried his tear-soaked cheeks and tiredly opened his mouth to finally let his bees in. The insects flew quickly into his stomach – Henry lingering a tiny moment longer on his lips to offer him his own sign of comfort – and let out a quiet rumble to indicate their support. "Let's go...", Millard said, a low growl tinging his words, "Let's go and see whose other backs we have..."

End of Chapter 3

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 **Once more, my upload took longer than I expected and I'm deeply ashamed to say that irregular updates will continue, at least until I get used to my new university life.**

 **I hope you're not too upset by the lateness.**

 **I love you all! Again, reviews are welcome and inspire me to continue writing, no matter how hard it is.**


	4. Chapter 4

**An unexpected touch of love**

AN: *barely daring to peek out from behind barricade* Hello, lads and ladies! Please don't hit me, although you have every reason to shout at me. I'm definitely shouting at myself too, believe me! I almost had a mini-heart attack when I discovered that you've now been waiting for over a month for the new update! I could barely believe it!

I honestly feel so so bad, but university was getting very strict. I had to study and read every day to keep up with the things to do and last and this month were PACKED with birthdays, so even if I had wanted to write more than a few sentences, I was super busy trying to not get crazy with everything. I truly never ran out of things to do...

Now there's thankfully no more birthdays until August and I especially used the (loooooong since passed) Easter holidays to catch up on some much needed inspiration! Again, words can't measure how sorry I feel to leave you all hanging every single time until now... *cries into pillow*

Aaaaaanyway, enough with emotional tearful confessions and on with the story, shall we? As I re-read it, I noticed I didn't explain where Miss P's shopping bags went. They didn't disappear into thin air, she's taking them with her of course. Play a part in making her stay with Dr. Chet a little longer...

Ok, that was a long Author's Note. Without further ado, let's get right into this fourth chapter! Enjoy it!

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„Just a few miles more, Miss Peregrine... I feel so bad. You really don't have to do this. You could have just gone home.", Dr. Chet informed her, an expression of guilt painted on the visible part of his face. Miss Peregrine gritted her teeth, wiped sweat from her forehead and rearranged the position of her left hand on her shopping bags. The plastic was cutting into her tender flesh, but she kept her other hand nonetheless resting on the doctor's arm.

„Ah! There it is. Welcome to my little clinic... my second home.", the young man suddenly exclaimed, his expression lightening up. One street across from them a two-story building had been pulled up at the corner, painted in white with a touch of yellow. A sign over the door welcomed them to „Dr. Chet's Apothecary and Clinic". „It's very beautiful, doctor.", the ymbryne admitted, to which he replied with a bright smile, revealing his white teeth.

The typical smell of disinfectants and cleaning fluids, mixed with the slightly sugary smell of dextrose candies being sold at the entrance, hit their noses as soon as they entered the building. Alma froze up for a few seconds, briefly being reminded of the same odour in her bro... in Caul's horrible labs, the hellish time she had been forced to spend there. Yet one look at Dr. Chet's handsome face gave her the courage to break free from the spell of the past.

Behind the reception's desk, a red-haired lady clad in blue was typing away at a computer. „Good evening, Hannah..." Her head jerked up and her cinnamon eyes widened shortly, while she gasped: „Good Lord, Dr. Chet! What happened?!", as she noticed the two newcomers, the one familiar pressing a hand to his face. „Bee sting, Hannah. I'm fine though. It just needs an ice pack and a salve. Oh, and she's with me, no patient...", he explained after throwing a quick look at Miss Peregrine.

„Understood, doctor. Go to Room 5, it's unoccupied. I'll fetch the things immediately.", the receptionist gave a quick nod and stood up, vanishing in a little corridor. „Up here, Miss. My examination rooms are on the upper floor.", Dr. Chet said, pointing to a staircase. Upon opening the door, Miss Peregrine noted how quiet it was. „Well, it's not exactly the time for people to go to the doctor. They're busy providing for lunch. But afterwards... afterwards they come in like homing pigeons.", he told her, laughing.

The two settled in Room 5, which was equipped with a desk, a bookshelf rising behind it, a medicine cabinet and an examination table. „Are you ok? The sting looks nasty.", the lady asked him worriedly after sinking into one of the chairs by the desk. „I'm sure it looks like it. It feels pretty swollen and painful, mainly because I couldn't get out the stinger yet. Which I forgot to mention to Hannah... But please, put down those shopping bags. Your arm must be as long as a gorilla's by now...", he answered, half jokingly and Miss Peregrine gladly complied.

„So, there we are, doctor. An ice pack and antibiotic salve. Let me take a look at this for you...", Hannah's voice came from the door and the redhead entered the room. After she had put the requested things on the desk, she gently took Dr. Chet's face into her hands and moved it into the light to have a better sight. For inexplicable reasons, the ymbryne felt a sting in her heart at that.

„Dr. David Chet! I'm not the one who should tell you that the stinger needs to be removed immediately, right?! Now where are the tweezers?", Hannah chastised him as soon as she saw the tiny dart in his cheek. The young doctor grinned sheepishly at her: „Second drawer to the right... Sorry, I was a little distracted." Alma averted her eyes as she realized he was talking about her. „Distracted, huh? I see.", his assistant huffed, yet her brown orbs held no real malice. Without wasting more time, she put on gloves and reached for the tweezers with an „I'll take care of it.". Done that, she pulled out the stinger in one swift motion.

„Finito.", the nurse announced. „I hope you aren't too... distracted, doctor, to put on the salve and ice. If you're good, I'll go back to my post." Dr. Chet laughed slightly, dismissing her. „Who is she? And why did she as a secretary treat you?", Miss Peregrine blurted out suddenly. Her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink as she noticed a certain wariness creeping into her voice. Was she jealous of Hannah? _„Polite persons don't feel jealous on a first encounter!"_ , she chastised herself.

The man instantly picked up on her feelings, which caused him to laugh heartily, his blue eyes full of mirth. „Her name is Hannah Mac Craith. She doesn't seem like it, but she's a couple years older than me. We studied at the same university, so when I opened my own clinic, she decided to stick with me. She's a fully capable doctor, but sometimes she takes over the reception stuff too. Yeah, Hannah's a good person, she sometimes just likes to show off her... tough Irish side.", he explained while quickly applying a blue, minty smelling salve under his eye. After that, he put on the ice pack that Hannah had left him on the desk.

„Ah, much better...", he huffed contently. "I...", Alma began, but closed her mouth quickly again, before the rest of the sentence could leave. _I'm sorry for my ward's rude behaviour._ Yes, she was, but Dr. Chet had no knowledge about the horde of children yet, not to talk about their extraordinary peculiar abilities... "Yes?", he asked, with a voice so curious and innocent at the same time that a little piece of the ymbryne's heart started to hurt. "If you knew, you would be scared and reject me...", she thought sadly. But she lightly bit the inside of her cheek and reformed her phrase: "I... I guess I should go home now. I see you are taken good care of." She clasped into her hands, but was surprised by a sudden stinging pain, burning like fire. An expression of pain escaped her lips.

"What is it?!", the man asked, instantly alert. Miss Peregrine looked down. Her palms were red and irritated. "My hands...", she replied quietly. David slipped right from patient into doctor mode. "Let me take a look.", he told her, dropping the ice pack and lightly grasping her wrists, pulling them towards him. "Hm, the shopping bags seem to have chafed open your palms. They rubbed off a little bit of skin, creating a wound. Coming into contact with sweat irritates it.", he explained after examining the damage. "Your ice pack!", Alma warned him worriedly. "Don't worry, we'll patch you up in a matter of minutes. I won't die from a bee sting.", Dr. Chet smiled, parting his brown hair from his forehead.

Once again trusting him, the young woman let him take care of her. First he cleaned her palms with disinfectant. It stung a bit, but he dabbed it on so softly that she could focus more on the movement itself. Then he gently wrapped some gauze around her hands. "Done.", he informed her after securing the last piece of bandage. "This should give you enough stability and strength to carry the bags home if you walk fast. Leave the bandages on for a few hours to give your hands time to heal." "Understood...", Miss Peregrine nodded.

Then she began to search in her coat for her purse, recalling something important. "How much money does your treatment cost? Cash or credit card?" David's gentle smile widened. "Oh, please don't worry, Miss. I don't consider this an actual treatment like the others. I only call them treatments if they have been previously arranged or if there's an urgency.", he waved aside. "If you insist, doctor...", the ymbryne thanked him. "I see that it's already awfully late, almost time for lunch!", she suddenly exclaimed when her gaze dropped on her pocket watch.

She jumped from her seat and shook Dr. Chet's hands, before picking up her shopping bags and jogging from the room. "Thank you for everything, Dr. Chet!" "You're...", the young man called after her, but she was already out of sight. "... welcome. Alma...", he whispered to himself, before he went to fetch his things as well, with slightly reddened cheeks. As Alma jogged by in front of the reception, she said a hasty goodbye to Hannah, who, while at the phone, acknowledged it with a grin. Just as the young woman was at the door, the redhead called out to her: "Be careful around the streets, you know! Just for the record, lady!" Not realizing the hidden meaning behind it in her haste, Miss Peregrine replied with a stressful laugh: "Don't worry, Hannah, I will."

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"There you are, you two! We were already looking for you. Come in, boys.", Olive greeted them at the door, as Hugh and Millard knocked to be let in. She saw Hugh's face bathed in tears and sighed compassionately. "Oh, Hugh. Did you have... Did you see Fiona again?", she asked, but never did she imagine the response. "No, he didn't. Although that would have been better for him.", Olive heard the irritated, biting voice of the invisible boy. He was seething, she could tell as much. "What happened, Millard?!", Enoch's girlfriend inquired, confused and worried about what had made their brother so angry.

Millard didn't pay any attention to him though. His invisible expression furious, he grabbed his hat as he passed by the sofa and went to the stairs. Jake was at the bottom of them, phoning what he guessed was either the hospital or the police. "Ok... Yes, I understand of course. Are you sure? Thank you so much. That really helped us. Good day to you.", he finished his call and hung up. "Miss Peregrine's alive!", both Jake and Millard shouted out at the same time. Instantly, seven pairs of eyes looked at them, full of hope and gleeful shock. "Why hasn't she returned already? What happened? Is she ok?", Claire anxiously begged for answers.

Part of the invisible syndrigast felt as if he was possessed as he uttered the next phrases. "First of all, what happened is that Miss P did have an accident, but I've called every hospital in the vicinity and it seems that a local clinic saw a doctor accompanied by an 'unusual patient'. They couldn't give a name, but the description sounded like Miss Peregrine was there.", Jake told them hastily. "Yeah, hooray, but she's been to the hospital only after getting almost here with her new BOYFRIEND!", Millard shouted in disdain. That was when Hugh acted up too, hissing full of grief and anger: "Yes, that's why my bees got stingy in revenge! At least... at least before she used her power on them to protect HIM!"

After these three weird confessions, the whole room was dead silent and frozen for a minute, as if they had been hit by a stunning spell. Then two "What?"'s ripped through the silence; one from Enoch, the other from Little Claire. The dead-raiser took a menacing step toward the bee boy. "You want to say that you - conciously at that! - almost attacked Miss P?! Are you... out of your little mind?!", he shouted, voice and body shaking with ire. "A boy... friend?", Claire whispered, an unreadable expression on her face. "Easy, Enoch, darling. I'm not saying that what you did was right, Hugh, but don't shun him right now. Ok?", Olive tried to calm her friend, who looked downright murderous.

Another silence grew between them. But this time, something wicked and poisonous seemed to dwell in it, darkness sparking between the confused children, who were still trying to understand the particular situation that had arised. Nobody moved, everybody looking in different directions. To the floor, the ceiling, some inspected their clothes or looked intensely at the dirt under their nails, anything but at each other. Emma was the first one to break the silent frozen picture by turning around abruptly and running up the stairs to her room. Slowly, one after another mirrored her, separating themselves from their peculiar brethren while whispering quietly. Soon, all but Horace had left the hall. The boy let his sky-blue eyes wander around and sighed: "Miss P, you'll have a lot of work to do..." Then he leant back and, smiling knowingly, drifted off to sleep.

End of Chapter 4

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 **Oooh, it seems that not everyone is happy for Miss P... Will she be able to do the split between caring ymbryne and woman in blooming love? Let's hope so...**

 **The next chapter will give her a breather and focus on the children's reaction after such a mindblowing revelation.**

 **Scorn me all you want, I deserve it, but comments are welcome and will let me use my winter holidays much better. Love you all!**

 **Yuna**


	5. Chapter 5

**An unexpected touch of love**

AN: Hello, everybody! I once again note I'm coming dangerously close to letting you wait too long for another chapter, so I did as promised and wrote as much as I could. It wasn't easy to divide the time between the national festivities and four stories to write on with only one useful hand (I cut myself on the other...), but hey, here we are, right? *winky face*

As I told you in the last chapter, this one will make you realize that a storm is coming up, threatening the bond between the children (with each other as well as with Miss Peregrine) and causing quite the heartbreak for some. I apologize in advance if this chapter upsets you in any way, makes you cry or angry. I'm your punching bag if you want... *prepares shields just in case*

I thank everyone who has been reading and being so patient for every chapter of my first long story by the way. I feel I've not been expressing it enough. I'm really glad you're putting up with me.

Now grab some popcorn and watch the drama develop *evil grin*... in chapter 5.

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Emma did not - could not! - believe Millard's and Hugh's words. She simply refused to believe that Miss Peregrine would have willingly chosen to stay with a man she had just met. She was THEIR ymbryne, THEIR mother! What if he turned out to be a jerk and tried to hurt or use her? What if she decided to get more aquainted with this man? What if something bad happened to them while she was away and she wasn't there to prevent it? What if...?

The peculiar girl knew deep inside her that she was being irrational and childish, but that didn't prevent her throat from tightening. She reached under her bed and grabbed a metal chest. It looked plain, dusty and dented. It had no special adornments to look fancy. But for Emma, it held the most precious treasures... Upon opening it, dozens of photos and papers met her eyes. With slightly shaking hands, she took everything out and began to leaf through it.

Most of the pictures showed her as a kid with the ymbryne doing various activities together; reading, drinking tea, spending time on the beach, playing games, training her powers... Emma trailed over their features of happiness frozen forever on the photograph and suddenly it was painful to breathe. Miss Peregrine's eyes rested lovingly on her little body floating in midair, her hands holding the rope securing her tightly. Once she had told her – no, promised her! - that she would never leave Emma. Miss Peregrine had always made good of that promise. Until now that was...

"You looked beautiful, you two. You were adorable, Em. How old were you in those photos?", she suddenly heard Jake's voice behind her. The boy was standing beside the bed and peeking over her shoulder. At first, Emma thought about ordering him to leave the room, but then she just sighed and signaled him to sit beside her. "That was around a year after Miss P found me...", she muttered. Jake took a paper into his right hand, while the other gently touched Emma's arm. It was a poem, scribbled on by a child's hand. It spoke in an infant voice of blooming flowers in spring, the comfort of a home and the freedom of birds. "You wrote this? It's beautiful...", he told his friend, feeling genuinly touched by the words.

Emma swallowed and nodded. The young Portman huffed and tightened his grip around the peculiar's shoulder. He had to know something... Deep inside him, he already knew it, but he wanted to make sure to hear it from her properly. "What a day, huh? It started out like any other and now... Miss P is really in the limelight today.", he chuckled lightly, "What do you think about all that? I think it's a pleasant surprise. I mean, Miss Peregrine possibly in love with her saviour? It almost sounds like a fairy tale to me." He instantly felt Emma tense up under his grip.

"A fairy tale?", she uttered and cursed herself for her voice slightly trembling and the burning sensation behind her eyes. "Is this a fairy tale to you? An ymbryne's life is no..." The boy felt at once that she was building a wall between them. "Emma...", he tried to soften the blow he had given her. "Jake, no. You know, just... just go, will you? I want to be alone...", the peculiar decided. The dark-haired boy turned around as he stood by the open door and tried a last time to get through to her defensive: "Listen, I..."

"Just GO AWAY!", Emma shouted at him, feeling that she had reached a breaking point. A strong gust of wind erupted violently around her like an explosion, blowing Jake out into the corridor and slamming the door firmly shut. Miss Peregrine's ward waited for a minute until the wind calmed down gradually and finally faded, with trembling body and tearful eyes. What had she done? She had used her pecularity for agressive means! What if she had hurt Jake? Anguish, rage, confusion - betrayal? - created a destructive whirlwind in her heart. Slowly, she let herself sink onto the bed and leaned her hurting head on a pillow. "Polite persons don't...", she whispered, before her words turned into soul-shaking sobs.

End of Chapter 5

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 **I told you, there would be drama on the way. I originally planned to have all the characters express how they feel about Miss P's relationship, but I think that Emma in particular deserved a chapter for herself to react to it, since she's one of the closest to her. The new chapter will feature the others' viewpoint too, but less extensively.**

 **Again, thanks so much to put up with my inconsistent writing and to anyone who celebrates it today... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!**

 **Yuna**


	6. Chapter 6

An unexpected touch of love

AN: A LATE HAPPY YEAR 2018! *shoots fireworks up the sky* May your feathers write fast and your imagination create beautiful words and your love for fanfiction never waver! A toast to all of you, readers and creators alike! *pops champagne cork*

I've told quite a few of you that I would update "An unexpected touch of love" soon and I would have loved to have uploaded on the first of January as a present for 2018 (what a joke...), but my mind simply couldn't. Inspiration wanted to take a break, but I've managed to grab it by the ears and ordered her to get a grip. I've ploughed through and I'm glad I did because it hurts me just as much as you to let you wait longer than necessary. But thanks to a new technique I discovered, I'm hoping to get things done faster than I did last year.

And now we finally get to see the reactions of the rest of the peculiar children. We already know what Hugh, Millard and poor Emma think about Miss Peregrine's 'commitment' to Dr Chet, but what about the others? I've decided to let them be in pairs to highlight their opinions, so this chapter might turn out a bit longer.

Grab another round of popcorn and prepare to witness the rest of the children choosing their camp... *popcorn crunches* in Chapter 6.

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Enoch was boiling internally. As the oldest peculiar of them was pacing up and down in his room, his hands interlaced behind his back, he was sure that if he would stop to look into a mirror, he would see smoke coming out of his ears. Olive was sitting on his bed, her fingers playing with her red hair and her eyes following his every movement. She didn't say a word. "How could he do something like this? Miss P has been there for us our whole life! She did everything she could for us, she saved us so many more times than I could count! And now bee boy does _this_?!"

"Be easy on him, Enoch...", Olive said softly, "I mean... Yes, he did wrong in getting Miss P in danger, but he didn't target her directly. It was that man with her that he wanted." The boy stopped pacing, but his eyes were still sparkling fire. "Ok.", he admitted, "But why? I still don't get why Hugh did that!" Olive's thoughts turned inward for a moment. Enoch sat down beside her and waited for her to answer. After a minute, the pyromaniac sighed sadly and looked at him with tear-rimmed eyes. "I think it's all about Fiona... You know how close they were- they were practically soulmates. He's probably still hurting a lot because of her... her absence. I somehow can't blame him entirely, you know? A broken heart can drive us to do so many things..."

Enoch chewed on his lower lip and blinked a few times to get rid of the sudden wet, burning sensation that was rising in his eyes. Fiona... The gifted young syndrigast with the green thumb, in love with the bee boy. Killed during an attack by the Hollowgasts only (a year) ago. Such a promising peculiar soul, uprooted and taken to the library of Avaton too long before her time. How much he missed his little sister sometimes... "But still, what Hugh did was very wrong. This can't and won't justify his actions. Actually, it's none of our business what happens next. Miss Peregrine will know what to do with him.", the dead-raiser answered dryly.

Olive repositioned herself on the bed so that she was lying on her stomach, her head resting comfortably on her arms. "But if against all their odds, Miss P does get together with her men, it will be so wonderful, don't you think? Romantic dinners, Valentine's days, walks along the seaside. We would finally have a father, Enoch! We could go on excursions like a family, to museums or amusement parks or the mountains. Or even...", Olive mumbled excitedly, laughing under her breath, a grin splitting her face from ear to ear. The teenagers blushed, both knowing what she meant. Enoch laid down on the bed as well, pulling Olive close, and placed a long kiss on her lips. "I love you so much, my fire girl...", he whispered, voice trembling with love. "And I you, my dead-riser...", the redhead whispered back, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

Bronwyn caught up with Claire on top of the stairs. "Hey, Claire! Do you want to go to the playroom with me?", she asked her, trying to coax her friend out of the somber mood she was in since she had discovered that their Miss P wished for a boyfriend. "Sure!", Claire replied happily. She hated to spend any time alone on the best of days, especially if she felt like this. Their designated playroom had been a former guest room, now filled with toys, dolls and books. The girls sat down at a little table, deciding for a tea party. Bronwyn fetched the pot, china cups and sugar bowl, while Claire brought out some cookies, went to prepare tea in the kitchen and put out their plastic tiaras and feather boas.

Chuckling, they finally sat down and started their game. "How would you like your tea, Miss Densmore?", Bronwyn asked in a posh voice. "With one lump of sugar and a cookie, please.", the girl with the backmouth answered equally posh. The girl with the Herculean strength giggled and served her. "Thank you, Miss Bruntley. Do you want some tea as well?", Claire said in turn. "Yes, please. Milk with two sugars, if I may.", her friend answered. The two youngest peculiars laughed and drank their beverage while munching on their cookies and talking about 'nonsense for kids', as they called their gossips.

But soon, Claire felt a strong urge to talk about something else than nonsense. She put down her cup and stared off into space with wide and worried eyes. "What's the matter, Claire?", Bronwyn asked, sensing instantly that something was bothering her friend. "I... I must admit, I don't really know what's going on...", Claire whispered, shaking her head. "Well.", her auburn-haired playmate thought aloud, "Miss P was in an accident, but this man must have found her or something like this and wanted to bring her home. But Hugh scared him away..." Both were silent for a minute, then Bronwyn addressed Claire with a serious voice: "What do you think will happen?"

Claire gulped, her little fingers caressing her doll for comfort and reassurance. She thought back to the first time she had met Miss Peregrine and everything that had happened from that day on. A big lump was hurting in her throat as she remembered. Her sweet perfume as she held her in her lap, reading to her. Her soft, ageless voice singing lullabies as she tucked her in at night. Her gentle fingers on her hair as she soothed away pains and nightmares from her past. She needed her Miss Peregrine, for herself, and she was scared that this would all be taken away from her... The mere thought of this made her want to bite something to shreds. Gritting both of her sets of teeth, she forced out: "I don't like this man, at all!"

Bronwyn looked down and the corners of her mouth pulled into a frown. She felt a sting of disappointment flashing through her. The strong girl thought about her own step-father. This pig, this _monster_... Acid burned at the back of her throat as she remembered her brother Victor, his pale face covered in bruises and blood, his blue eyes full of tears he refused to let fall in front of her. The stormy night when their disgusting excuse of a father had, in a drunken stupor, shaken Victor like a ragdoll for protectively stepping in front of her before laying his hands around the boy's throat. She had screamed, but the rain had drowned it out. Victor's sobbing plea for help - lightning flashed! -, her body moving quickly, then CRACK - thunder exploding like a bomb! -, her step-father lying motionlessly under her, his neck snapped like a twig. Bronwyn shivered, terrified of the memory.

Then she imagined the dad she had never had and could maybe have. A gentle man who never laid hands on them in anger. A man who they could sip hot chocolate with, play all sorts of games, laugh with and tell their problems to, without calling them stupid or a waste of space. A man who consoled them and helped to heal their bruises and bleeding instead of causing them... "What is your problem, Claire? What's so bad about having a father who loves you and doesn't actually hit you or want you to die for a change?!", Bronwyn said loudly, upset. Upon hearing this, Claire let out a pained gasp. Sadness made her little heart clench painfully. "I... I want to be alone.", she stammered. Her friend just looked at her darkly, then turned to watch out the window, a clear sign- Fine, so be alone!

"Fine...", she whispered, almost inaudible, as she reached for her doll and slowly stood up to walk to the door. The blonde peculiar child felt as if her legs were made of lead as she dragged herself to her room. Claire hung up her "Don't interrupt!" sign on her door and stumbled onto her bed. She could already feel hot tears wetting her pillow. Pressing her toy even closer to her aching heart, she asked: "What happened, Miss Annie? We were all so happy. But then everything changed. First Miss P wants a boyfriend and now..." She choked on a sob rising in her throat. But the doll with her fiery red mop of wool hair and brown dress didn't know the answer to that. Her black glass eyes stared dully at Claire, her sewed on smile couldn't offer comfort. Claire sobbed again, this time louder than before. "And now I may even lose Bronwyn, too!" Defeated, she curled up on herself and allowed the wave of sorrow to wash over her, as she started to cry bitterly.

Horace was sitting propped up against some pillows on the sofa in the entrance hall and was inspecting his fingernails when he saw Jake coming down the stairs. The boy seemed unhappy, a mix of anger and distress radiating from him. "Hello, Jake.", he greeted him softly to get his attention. When he saw him, the older peculiar tried to force a halfhearted smile on his face and greeted back: "Hey, Horace. Everything ok?" But Horace didn't care about himself right now but instead glanced at his brother, worry knitting his brow. "You seem troubled. Do you want to join me for a cup of tea and some cookies in the garden?", Horace asked. Jake shrugged. He didn't have any better ideas of what to do and so he replied: "Yeah, sure, why not?" The prophetic boy smiled and made his way into the kitchen.

As the two sat down while the water was boiling, the blond tilted his head and carefully inquired: "How are you holding up with all of this?" Jake sighed deeply, propping his head up on his wrists. "I don't know... It seems to drive everyone to an edge. Especially Emma. I'm ok with all that, Miss P knowing someone outside of our circle, but she seems to be taking it rather bad... as if it were the end of everything." The young prophet smiled. That was not a surprise to him. Abe Portman's grandson gulped and told him everything about his fight with Emma. Horae eyed him compassionately. The boy honestly seemed destroyed by it. "For once, I can't understand Emma. We- we've been through so much together, always made such a good team. What's going to happen, Horace, to all of us? The young Somnusson obviously knew the answer, but explaining all he could foresee would take too long, so he just smiled softly and said: "So far I've only seen a good future for us. Have faith, Jake..." Relieved that at the end, everything would turn out alright, a smile graced the Hollowslayer's lips as well.

Noting that the tea was ready, Jake poured the liquid into two cups and put fresh cookies on a plate. The boys picked up the things and went into the garden. They decided to have their snack under the shade of a big acorn tree. "So, Horace, what would you look forward the most if Miss P and this man do in fact get closer?", Emma's boyfriend asked and bit into a chocolate chip cookie. Horace smiled fondly, the obvious love for his ymbryne reflecting in the sheen that had formed over his eyes. He chuckled and admitted: "Do I still need Miss Peregrine? Yes. Am I grateful for the things she's given and taught us? Also yes, absolutely. But do I think it's wrong for her to discover the world and feelings she could never have and go her own way without us holding her back by the hand? No. I don't think so. Miss P has enough love for everyone. What I'm looking forward to, Jake? To see her walk free, like she ought to be..."

Suddenly, they heard a sharp hissing noise beside them. When the boys turned their heads, they were looking at the Twins. Their masks, usually so stoic and rigid, betrayed emotions. An expression of anger was pulling the lines of their eyebrows into a frown. It was obvious that they didn't share Horace's line of thinking. "Our opinions are what they are.", Jake tried to defend his brother. Suddenly, their hands flew up to their necks, ready to grip their masks and tear them off. The dark haired teen gasped. They all knew perfectly well what the Twins were hiding under these pieces of cloth: Eyes that, like Medusa, could turn you into stone. But Horace stood up undisturbed by the threat and murmured: "Easy, you two... There's no reason to harm each other." The gorgon peculiars then let out a whimper, a whine like a puppy abandoned on the street and Jake saw something he had never seen before. Wet streaks were suddenly starting to stain the fabric: They were crying.

"Shh, it's ok, Twins, it's all ok.", the blond prophetic syndrigast consoled them, after his own moment of surprise. He patted the younger peculiars gently on their heads and told them: "Whatever may take place, it's not going to happen soon, believe me. Do you understand?" The children nodded and suddenly threw their arms around Horace to embrace him. He awkwardly returned the hug for a moment, then he let go and told them to play around in the garden. When they had disappeared, Horace and Jake let out a collective sigh and sat back down on the grass to continue their snack. For a few minutes, they just focused on sipping tea and the crumble of their cookies. "If I'm not mistaken, then this is what you should tell Emma too... That might help you.", Horace then turned to Jake. He nodded. "Thanks for everything, buddy. I really appreciate it.", he said, glad that he had talked about his feelings with someone.

The elder picked up the cookie plate and the empty cups and went back to the house, leaving Horace to himself. The syndrigast sighed deeply and leaned his back against the strong bark of the tree. He knew about the big stones that would be lying in their path to true happiness and if he could trust his dreams, he was not looking forward to some things. Shaking his blond head to clear it of these negative premonitions, he made his way back to the house as well, where he retook his position on the couch. Banishing all thoughts, he fell into a light slumber, until he heard the doorbell ringing. Knowing exactly who it would be, Horace got up, opened the door and greeted: "Hello, Miss Peregrine."

END OF CHAPTER 6

 **FINALLY! Chapter 6 is DONE!**

 **I have to say, this was quite the complicated birth, but it worked out great. You have all reason to be disappointed in me, but this time, the wait was hopefully worth the amount of words and drama that's included.**

 **Love to all and a happy Easter to those who celebrate it!**

 **Yuna**


	7. Chapter 7

**An unexpected touch of love**

AN: I'm utterly, utterly sorry that I had to actually put everything I do on Hiatus, but this time university REALLY had it in for me, dearies… I was under so much pressure to study that I couldn't even take a single look at my stories, even if I wanted to so badly. This had a nasty effect on my health as well, which didn't make things any easier… I have to admit that it was all worth it in the end. *proud smile*

But somehow, we survived all of this and I can reward all of us with the long-awaited seventh chapter. Let's lean back in celebration and go on with Miss Peregrine's puzzling love story…

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Miss Peregrine rang the doorbell, gritting her teeth against the pain shooting through her palm and hoping somebody would open the door quickly. She took deep breaths to support the weight, but she was glad to be finally home with her charges. This day had absolutely not gone how she had expected. Yet something deep inside her was happy about it too… Horace appeared by the open door, grinning softly. "Welcome home, Miss Peregrine. Here, let me help you with those bags.", he greeted her. "Thank you, darling. Carry them into the kitchen, please.", she sighed, relieved. "Oh Birds, what a day…", the ymbryne chuckled after the two had stowed away the last of her groceries. While Horace attentively brought her a glass of water, the boy noticed the thin bandages around her hands. "You're definitely right, Miss P. But what happened? To your hands? Don't worry, I won't tell anybody, this will stay between us.", he asked her.

She hesitated for a moment. On one side, she was giddy with excitement to tell somebody about her adventure, but on the other, she wasn't sure what kind of reaction that would provoke. "I fell down on the street in the morning and a friendly man saw me and patched me up with his first-aid kit.", she told him. Technically, this was what had happened, so it was not a lie entirely. The prophetic peculiar hung his head a little. He seemed to sense – no, to know – that this wasn't the whole truth, but he looked up at her with a serious look in his eyes and told her earnestly: "You have my back, Miss Peregrine, no matter what…" His headmistress seemed touched and really glad about it. "I appreciate it, child.", she thanked him, tenderly tucking a strand of Horace's hair behind his ear. Then she nodded to him one last time and went up the stairs to her room.

On her way, she decided to stop by the bathroom to refresh herself. Miss Peregrine looked into the mirror. Her face was still paler than usual and dust still coated her cheeks a little like some sort of dark blush. When she turned on the warm water to wash the dirt off her face, she noticed something that almost made her stomach do a somersault: Little blood trails flowed with the water down the sink into the drain. "Oh Bird…", she whispered, horrified. Quickly she checked her hands, but they weren't bleeding. So where did… The sudden realization froze her in place, her arms and legs tingling with shock. Before she had entered the bathroom, she had crossed Hugh's path. The boy hadn't bothered to greet or look up directly at her. He had thrown a glare, full of anger and hurt at the same time, at her before he had hurried into his own room. Hugh had been clutching his arm. Could it be? Could it really be that… Was it truly possible that her sweet boy was cutting himself? A wave of nausea hit her and she sat on the toilet seat to get her spinning head under control. She wouldn't lie, she was still angry and disappointed at him for attacking Dr Chet, but in the name of all ymbrynes, what mother was she to ignore such a danger?! How could she not have noticed that one of her children was harming himself?!

After she had fought down a wave of cold and vertigo, she found enough strength to get up and leave the bathroom. She would certainly talk to Hugh about it. She would get through to him and help him heal, she swore to the Birds! On her way to her room, she saw Bronwyn coming out of the playroom. When the girl saw her, she lit up like a star. Gasping "Miss Peregrine!", she ran towards her and buried her face in the stomach of her ymbryne. "Hello, dear Bronwyn...", Miss Peregrine whispered. How much she had worried about her darlings… Judging by their reactions, they had been equally scared for her. "I'm so, so happy you're back! Should I go and help with dinner? Can I, can I?", she chuckled, jumping up and down eagerly. "You can set the table if you want to.", Alma said softly. When the strong girl had hopped down the stairs, she sighed deeply and continued to her room, half hoping that she would not be interrupted once more.

But of course, fate would not have it – not with her. Passing Claire's room, her sharp ear heard the most terrifying, heart-wrenching sounds she could imagine: The desolate cries of her little girl. What had her absence caused?! Was Claire hurt, had fought with one of her brothers or sisters? Why was she never there when someone needed her most, the ymbryne thought with a pang of sadness. Ignoring the 'Don't disturb' sign, she pushed the door open. Curled up on her bed, crying from both of her mouths and her doll clutched tightly to her chest, laid Little Claire. Concerned, Miss Peregrine ran to her side and put a hand on the safe part of her head. Looking up, the little girl recognized her and let out a distressed howl: "MISS PEREGRINE!" Claire threw herself at her mother and sobbed: "You ABANDONED me! You left me alo-o-one! Please, don't… don't leave me again, ever…" Alma was shocked. Did her baby girl truly think she would ever abandon her? "Sshh… Don't worry, Claire, my love. I promise. I'll never leave you again. I promise.", she cooed while she rubbed soothing circles on her back.

When the blonde girl had calmed down enough to be left alone without losing it again, Miss Peregrine gave her a deep kiss on the forehead and exited the room, closing the door behind her. Two rooms away from hers were Emma's chambers. The ymbryne happily reached for the doorknob to enter and give her child a big hug and apologize for having been away for so long and that she had scared them… only to find the door locked. Dismayed, Alma stepped back. It was intriguing and sad at the same time. Emma usually never locked her door like that. Nevertheless, she quietly called out: "Honey, I'm back! I know you want to be alone right now, but dinner will be ready in an hour or so. Just- just so you know… I love you, Emma." Then she turned on her heels and hastily – at last! – entered her own little world.

She let herself fall onto her bed, rubbing her temples to help sort all of the memories of this hectic, chaotic day. So many confusing things had happened that the peculiar headmistress felt almost dizzy. "Well, Alma… You'll have plenty of time to think about it tonight. Now go and care for your poor children as you should…", she muttered to herself. She felt as if this situation was slipping through her fingers and she had to re-take control of it. A groan escaped her when she took a look at her dress. It was dirty from head to toe; dusty, with grass stains on the sleeves and skirt. Without hesitation, Miss Peregrine pulled down the zipper and slipped out of her dress.

There was a mirror hanging in front of her closet and Alma stopped to look at herself. The first thing that caught the eye was two bone spurs growing on her shoulder blades, the typical sign of ymbrynes or people with the capability of turning into birds. People like… The young woman closed her eyes, overwhelmed by emotions and memories and trailed her slender fingers over her arms. Scars were causing a disturbing pattern all over them. There were also quite a few covering her back and chest. Miss Peregrine gulped painfully and thought to herself: "What man could ever possibly desire a woman like me?! I look as if I just ran into a serial… killer…" Well, she actually had, in her defense… But she gritted her teeth and energetically opened her closet door. Now was not the time for such thoughts! She slipped into a clean dress, fixed a few loose strands in her hairdo and made her way into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

In the matter of an hour, M iss Peregrine had put together a delicious smelling dinner: Roasted potatoes with peas and grilled chicken breasts. Everything was fine, everyone was gathering around the table… except the atmosphere was prickling with a strange sort of discord. Claire and Emma were sitting away from their usual spots next to Bronwyn and Jake respectively, they were outright ignoring them. Olive and Enoch were the exact opposite, grins on their blushed faces and hugging each other by the waist. A floating cap told her that Millard was sitting close to Hugh, who was looking firmly down on his plate. The Twins barely touched their food either, not uttering a word.

The ymbryne swallowed. Her feelings met halfway between irritation and sadness. What in all the Birds' names had happened in their home while she had been away? What was going on in their children's heads? Why was she having the terrible feeling that something was slowly beginning to drive a wedge between them? And most importantly, what could she possibly do to make it better? So she put down her fork and used it to clang it against her wine glass a few times. The sound alerted the children's attention and soon eleven pairs of eyes were trained on her. Alma smiled tenderly and started speaking: "Children… first and foremost, I want to apologize to you for staying away for so long today. I imagine you were quite scared and I'm so, so sorry that I couldn't contact you, it completely passed me by… I- I hope you can forgive me. I won't leave you like that again, I promise." Emma didn't say anything nor looked at her directly, but her hand slightly reached in her direction. Her adoptive mother touched her fingertips, putting all of her love and warmth into her touch. Approving noises came from everyone at the table.

After they had finished a delicious raspberry pie for dessert, Miss Peregrine, as per usual, asked Horace to show them his dreams, to bring back a bit of the daily familiarity between her family. But to her surprise, this time Horace declined. He looked at her with shadows and regret in his eyes, claiming he was too exhausted to conjure up his peculiarity for them all. Although she was quite taken aback by this, Alma just gave Horace a hug and said: "I can imagine that today was a rough one for all of us. It's better to go to bed now. You'll see, tomorrow will be a much better day…" After a bit of complaining from the younger kids, their ymbryne bid them all goodnight and retreated into her own room, her heart strangely heavy.

When she closed the door, a sudden urge to cry invaded her. She quickly squeezed her eyes shut and pressed a hand over her mouth to not wake up the rest. "Deep breaths, Alma, deep breaths…", the young woman told herself. "A shower will surely calm those nerves…", she muttered. The ymbryne got out of her dress and climbed into the shower. The hot water ran over her, bringing her comfort and soothing her sore muscles, until she thought how the wounds on her hands would hopefully not leave blemishes. Once more she was painfully aware of the scars spreading over her body, all the scratches and cuts, both old and new. Memories of the man who had done this to her, her own brother, resurfaced in her. Every single touch of Caul had brought her devastating pain… Nothing more.

A dam was torn down inside her. With a whimper, Miss Peregrine sank to her knees and broke into tears. Anguished sobs wracked her trembling body as she hugged herself tightly. She always put up a brave face in front of her charges, but on the inside, she was still hurting profoundly because of her past. After crying bitterly for a good five minutes, she calmed down enough to cut off the water and climb out of the tub. Drying herself off quickly to not lose any body heat, she put on a long flowing nightgown and snuggled into her blankets. Exhausted both physically and emotionally, it didn't take long for the ymbryne to drift into a deep sleep.

END CHAPTER 7

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 **It's finally done! The walls of university stress, illness and writer's block have been torn down! The story goes on!**

 **Once again, I can't emphasize enough that you're so wonderfully patient with me. It shows that my stories are popular enough to be worth waiting for. Thank you all! *throws kisses, flowers and cookies***

 **PS: I've got a pretty big announcement to make. On October 17** **th** **2k18, I have finished my first novel. I've been writing on it for 7 years and I've finally brought this huge adventure's beginning to a close. The feelings are indescribable, guys… Feeling like a very, very proud mama is probably the most accurate description. I just want to share this immense joy with the world.**

 **Yuna McHill**


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